Packing cover

ABSTRACT

Packing protector for protecting the edge areas of a sheet-like object, said packing protector consisting of an edge protector ( 1 ) formed by narrow strips and of flanges ( 2, 3 ) extending from the edge protector to opposite surfaces of the object to be protected, both the edge protector and the flanges being preferably manufactured from cardboard. According to the invention, the edge protector ( 1 ) comprises joining areas ( 4 ) connecting adjacent strips ( 5 ) of the edge protector together so as to press the flanges obliquely toward each other.

The present invention relates to a packing protector as defined in thepreamble of claim 1.

Packing protectors like those purported by the invention are used toprotect the corners and edges of various sheet-like structures againstdamage e.g. during transportation. A packing protector of this type ispresented in German application publication 19606546. This packingprotector is made of paper material folded so as to form an accordion orbellows type structure which can be used to protect various objects.However, this structure is in many respects unsatisfactory. It does notprovide sufficient protection for the desired object and, especiallywhen used as a corner protector, it leaves the extremity of the cornerof the object very poorly protected. In addition, the protector isdifficult to mount and especially its capability to stay in position ispoor.

A solution designed to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks is e.g.an elastic corner protector made of plastic as presented in Finnishutility design application 950381. This corner protector has anelasticity property, so it can be used to protect products havingdifferent thickness dimensions and it also effectively protects the tipof the corner. The main problem with this product is the raw materialused. As corner protectors are bulk goods, they are needed in largequantities, and consequently a lot of waste is produced.

The object of the present invention is to eliminate the drawbacksdescribed above. A specific object of the present invention is todisclose a new type of packing protector which can be manufactured e.g.from recycled cardboard and provides effective protection for productsin spite of this readily destructible or recyclable material, is easyand simple to use and also permits large variations in the thickness ofthe product to be protected.

As for the features characteristic of the invention, reference is madeto the claims.

The packing protector of the invention preferably consists of an edgeprotector formed by narrow strips and of flanges extending in the samedirection from the edge protector and designed to be placed on oppositesurfaces of the object to be protected, both the edge protector and theflanges being manufactured e.g. from recycled cardboard. According tothe invention, the edge protector comprised in the packing protector isprovided with joining areas suitably connecting adjacent cardboardstrips of the edge protector together so that the flanges of the packingprotector do not remain exactly parallel to each other but are obliquelyconverging, in other words, the distance between the flanges at theirfree edges is shorter than the width of the edge protector, or theflange edges may even touch each other. Therefore, according to theinvention, the packing protector can be placed on the edge of the objectto be protected as the flanges are pressed against the surfaces of theobject and keep the packing protector in place without any glue, tape orother agents between the packing protector and the object to beprotected.

The packing protector is preferably manufactured from a singlecontinuous cardboard sheet by folding the middle portion of the sheetalternately in different directions to form narrow parallel strips ofequal width which constitute an accordion or bellows type edgeprotector. The edge parts of the sheet are then bent to form extensionsof the outermost strips, forming flanges extending side by side in thesame direction.

In another embodiment of the invention, the edge protector ismanufactured from cardboard strips of equal width which are gluedtogether at suitable distances, the gluing being effected in a staggeredmanner so that the glue spots are not in the same line between eachlayer across the whole width of the edge protector. In this way, an edgeprotector of elastic and bellows-like structure is produced. The broaderflanges can then be glued to the two edges of the edge protector sothat, due to the elasticity of the edge protector, the flanges will bepressed against the parallel surfaces of the object to be protected.

The joining areas used in the strips are preferably glue spots or largerareas provided with glue. The joining areas are preferably disposed onthose surfaces of the bellows-like edge protector which in the finishedpacking protector face toward the flanges, in other words, on the stripsurfaces facing toward the inside of the packing protector.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the strips forming the edgeprotector are not completely glued to each other at their innersurfaces. Instead, they have joining areas at suitable distances, thejoining areas in different strips being preferably disposed along thesame line in the widthways direction of the edge protector and atsuitable distances from each other in the lengthways direction of theedge protector.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the folds between the edgeprotector strips are provided with incisions to increase the elasticityof the edge protector, i.e. of the bellows-like structure of the packingprotector. The incisions may be placed e.g. along the same line with thejoining areas. In a preferred embodiment, the incisions are disposedalong the same line with the joining areas but only in the inner foldsbetween strips, so that the incisions are not visible from the outsideof the finished packing protector, but the accordion-like back of thepacking protector looks solid and whole.

A packing protector as described above can be used on straight edges ofsheet-like structures. In an embodiment of the invention, the packingprotector is provided with a crosscut which in the finished packingprotector extends from the direction of the flanges toward the edgeprotector, cutting through most of the edge protector. Thus, only in thearea of the outer folds between the strips and in the area of the foldsbetween the outermost strips and the flanges, narrow necks are formedwhich constitute a joint along the crosscut, connecting the two parts ofthe packing protector thus formed on either side of the crosscut andpermitting these parts to be bent to an angle relative to each other. Inanother alternative, the crosscut is not started right from the edge ofthe flanges but instead a small bridge is left at the beginning of thecrosscut to enable the packing protector to remain straight and rigid,and only when the packing protector is to be used in an angular shape,the bridges are torn or broken e.g. by bending in the reverse direction.Thus, the same packing protector with a crosscut allowing its use as acorner protector can just as well be used as a straight protector onstraight edges of objects.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the crosscut is disposedalongside a line of joining areas connecting the strips together andcorresponding incisions in the inner folds between the strips so thatthe joining areas and incisions lie on one side of the crosscut. In thiscase, the strips on the other side of the crosscut are connected by boththe inner and outer folds and have no joining areas keeping themtogether. Thus, when the two parts of the packing protector are bent toan angle, the strip portions on either side of the crosscut willintermesh and will not prevent the parts from being bent to an angle. Atthe same time, a strong double protection is formed in the intermeshingarea at the vertex of the angle, which effectively protects the tip ofthe corner of the object.

As compared with prior art, the packing protector of the invention hassignificant advantages. Although the packing protector can bemanufactured e.g. from cheap recycled cardboard, which can be readilyrecycled or destroyed, the packing protector has an elastic structure,even in two senses. First, thanks to the elasticity of the flanges andtheir skew toward each other, the packing protector remains in positionaround the object to be protected, so it need not be held fast duringpackaging, thus allowing faster and easier packaging. Second, the backpart of the packing protector, i.e. the bellows-like edge protector, isflexible in width, thus allowing one and the same packing protector sizeto be used for a large number of objects of different thicknessdimensions. Moreover, it is not necessary to have separate protectorsfor straight edges and corners, but the same packing protector can beused to protect straight edges and bent to an angle to protect corners.

In the following, the invention will be described in detail withreference to the attached drawings, wherein

FIG. 1 presents a packing protector according to the invention, and

FIG. 2 presents a blank with a crosscut, from which the packingprotector illustrated in FIG. 1 has been formed.

The packing protector presented in FIG. 1, which is designed for theprotection of a corner of a sheet-like object, has been manufacturedfrom a cardboard blank as illustrated in FIG. 2. The blank is of asubstantially rectangular shape and it has straight planar flanges 2 and3 of equal width and length at its edges. Between the flanges is thepart which forms the edge protector 1 in the packing protector. Itconsists of thirteen parallel creasing lines placed at equal distancesfrom each other, forming between the flanges 2 and 3 an accordion orbellows type structure comprising twelve narrow strips 5.

Every second strip is provided with glue spots 4 placed at the samelevel in different strips and at a distance from each other in thelongitudinal direction of the strips. In the area of the glue spots,every second fold, i.e. the inner folds 6 are provided with incisions 8,in other words, the inner folds have been cut open in these areas.

In addition, the blank is provided with a crosscut 9 that nearly cutsthe blank in two in its middle portion transversely to the longitudinaldirection of the strips 5. The crosscut 9 begins from the bottom ofindentations or bevellings 14 made in the flanges 2 and 3, yet so thatsmall bridges 16 are initially left in the blank. The crosscut thencontinues in an intermittent fashion so that a break is left in thecrosscut at each outer fold 7 between strips 5 and at the folds 10between the outermost strips and the flanges, said breaks forming ajoint 11.

The crosscut 9 is so disposed that there are joining areas and alsoincisions 8 in the strips 5 immediately on one side of the crosscutwhereas immediately on the other side of the crosscut 9 there are nojoining areas and no corresponding incisions.

Moreover, on one side of the crosscut 9, the flanges 2 and 3 areprovided with locking incisions 15 for interlocking the flanges when thepacking protector is bent to an angle.

When blank illustrated in FIG. 2 is turned and pressed together, i.e.when the joining areas 4 are pressed against the opposite strip 5 orflange 2, a straight elastic packing protector is formed in which theflanges 2 and 3 are aslant toward each other as illustrated in FIG. 1.When the packing protector is to be bent to form a corner protector asillustrated in FIG. 1, the sections 12 and 13 of the packing protectorare bent about the joint 11, first slightly in the reverse direction,thus breaking the bridges 16. After this, the two sections 12 and 13 arebent to an angle relative to each other. As a result, the strip 5 areasin different sections 12 and 13 around the crosscut 9 intermesh, forminga thick and firm corner protection. At the same time, the bevelledindentations 14 in section 12 are pressed into the locking incisions 15in the flanges in section 13, this causing the two sections 12 and 13 tointerlock at straight angles without being glued. However, it is alsopossible to use glued connections here either instead of lockingincisions or in addition to them.

In the foregoing, the invention has been described by way of examplewith reference to the attached drawings, but different embodiments ofthe invention are possible within the scope of the inventive ideadefined in the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. Packing protector for protecting the edge areasof a sheet-like object, said packing protector consisting of an edgeprotector (1) and of flanges (2, 3) extending from the edge protector toopposite surfaces of the object to be protected, both the edge protectorand the flanges being manufactured from cardboard, characterised in thatthe flanges (2, 3) and the edge protector (1) have been produced from acontinuous cardboard sheet by folding it so that edge protector formedby narrow strips (5) forms an accordion or bellows type structurecomprising joining areas (4) connecting adjacent strips (5) of the edgeprotector together so as to press the flanges obliquely toward eachother.
 2. Packing protector as defined in claim 1, characterised in thatthe joining areas (4) consist of glue spots.
 3. Packing protector asdefined in claim 1, characterised in that the joining areas (4) aredisposed on the strip (5) surfaces facing toward the flanges.
 4. Packingprotector as defined in claim 1, characterised in that the joining areas(4) in different strips (5) are disposed along the same line across thewidth of the edge protector and at a distance from each other in thelengthways direction of the edge protector.
 5. Packing protector asdefined in claim 1, characterised in that the fold (6, 7) between thestrips (5) is provided with incisions (8) to increase the elasticity ofthe edge protector in its widthways direction.
 6. Packing protector asdefined in claim 5, characterised in that the incisions (8) are placedalong the same line with the joining areas (4).
 7. Packing protector asdefined in claim 5, characterised in that the incisions (8) are disposedin the inner folds (6) between strips (5).
 8. Packing protector asdefined in claim 1, characterised in that the packing protector isprovided with a crosscut (9) cutting through a substantial portion ofthe flanges (2, 3) and edge protector (1) while the outer folds (7)between strips (5) and the folds (10) between the outermost strips andthe flanges form a joint (11) along the crosscut line to allow the twoparts (12, 13) of the packing protector to be bent to an angle relativeto each other.
 9. Packing protector as defined in claim 8, characterisedin that the crosscut (9) is disposed alongside a line of joining areasand corresponding incisions (8) in the inner folds (6) between thestrips (5) so that the joining areas and incisions lie on one side ofthe crosscut while the strips on the other side of the crosscut areconnected together by the folds and are free of joining areas. 10.Packing protector as defined in claim 8, characterised in that theflanges (2, 3) are provided with bevelled indentations (14) at the edgesof the crosscut (9) to allow the two parts (12, 13) of the packingprotector to be bent to an angle of 90° relative to each other. 11.Packing protector as defined in claim 8, characterised in that theflange (2, 3) is provided with a locking incision (15) near the crosscut(9) to allow the flanges to be interlocked when the parts of the packingprotector are bent to an angle relative to each other.
 12. Packingprotector as defined in claim 8, characterised in that the edge of theflange (2, 3) comprises a bridge (16) at the beginning of the crosscut(9), which bridge is only torn when the packing protector is being bentto an angle.